Teat-cup for milking-machines.



F. A. LANE.

TEAT CUP POR 'MILKING MACHINES.

' APPLIGATION FILED 1330.6, 1909.

Patentedmar. 15, 1910.

tiri stars 'garnant vorare.,

FREDERIC A. LANE, OF LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T011). H. BURRELL&

COMPANY, OF LITTLE FALLS, NEW YORK.

'FEAT-CUP FOR MILKINGI-MACHINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. i5, 4910.

Application tiled December 6, 1939. Serial No. 531,526.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, F REDRIC A." LANE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Little Falls, in the county of Herkimer and State of NewYork, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Teat-Cups forMilking-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to teat-cups which are used in milking apparatusoperating by` suction which is applied intermittently or in pulsationstothe cups and through the latter to the teats. Teat-cups for this classof milking machines have been made of different constructions, oneconstruction, which has been extensively used, being that which is shownin Letters Patent No. 827,160, dated July 31, 1906, granted to myassignee, the

'firm of D. H. Burrell & Co. The cup of that patent ce-mprises a rigiddownwardly-taper mg body, having an upwardly-diverging top chamber and aflexible mouthpiece applied to the chamber.

In vthe use of these cups it has been nec-' essary, in -order tc obtainbest results, to have the tapering body of the cup fit the teat closelyand in such a manner as to support the teat. Vhen thejtapering body ofthe cup was too large for the teat, so that the latter was not supportedby the cup but hung freely therein, the milking action was imperfect andbecame uncomfortable for the cow,.'and the teat would become swollen,

- congested and hardened. As the teats differ considerably in size, evenin the samefbreed of cows, it was therefore necessary to have cups ofAdifferent sizes, and it was further necessary to select a cup of theproper size for each particular size of teat. The selection was oftenneglected altogether or improp erly and unskilfully made and the resultwas an unsatisfactory working of the machine. In ordinary practice sixdifferentsizes-of teat-cups were required to meet the ordinaryvariations in the size of teats, leaving out of 4considerationabnormallytlarge or small teats or malformations. The object of thisinvention is te overcome this ditculty and to provide a teat-cip whichwill work satisfactorily with large and /small teats under the ordinaryvariations of size.

lf'n the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is/aside-elevationof thepreferred construct/ibn ofthe teat cup. Flg. 2iis a' sectional elevationthereof, showing the cup applied to a large teat. Fig. 3 is a similarview, showing the cup applied to a small teat. Fig. 4 is a sectionalelevation, showing a modified construction of the cup. Fig. 5 is a.sectional elevation showing a modified construction of the cup, similarin form to the one shown in Fig. 4, but with a differentlydesigned'niouthpiece. Fig. 6 isa sec' tional elevation of the cup,similar in form to the one shown in Figs. 2 and 3 but with a differentlydesigned mouthpiece.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the several figures. y

A; re resents the downwardly tapering body o the cup, having at itssmall lower end a nipple 10, or a bead or other suitable provision forconnection with the suction pipe of a -milking machine. The form aundsize ofthe body of this cup are such that it will readily receive andcomfortably fit the v largest sized normal teat of a cow, while thesmall teats will have more or less clearance in the body of the cup. Inthe drawings a large teat fitting comfortably in the body of the cup isshown in Figs. 2 and 4, while a smaller teat having clearance in the cupis shown in Fig. 3,.

B, Fig. 1, represents an annular enlargement or top chamber formed at orsecured to the upper end of the tapering body and hav. ing its annularbottom 11 arranged approxi-- mately horizontally, or at right angles tothe axis of the cup. This top chairber comprises, in thel constructionrepresented in Figsl-B, a lower portion `1:2 and an upper portion 13,the latter being vof less diameter than the lower portion 4but of largerdiameter than` the body. The wall of the top chamber 'above the bottom11 thereof consists o-f a lower peripheral portion 14, a horizontalportion 15 extending-inwardly from the top of the lower portion 14, andan up- I per peripheral portion 16 extending upwardly from the portion15 and having at its lupper end a bead or rim 1T.

The dimensions of this cupwhich havebeen found vsatisfactory in practiceare approximately as follows: Taking the diameter of the large upper endof thebody as slightly larger than one inch, the length of the body isabout four times this diameter, the heightof the top chamber about equalto this diameter, the diameter .of/the large lower --portion of thetopchamber /about two and a half times this diameter, and the' diameterof the small upper portion of the top chamber alittle less than twicethis diameter.

The cup is preferably made of sheet copper, tinned or nickel plated, butmay be made of glass, hard rubber or other suitable material suiicientlyrigidto retain its form under working conditions. l

C, Figs. 1-4, represents a flexible mouthpiece of well knownconstruction, preferably of soft india rubber, which is applied totheing a harmfu pressure and permits of av moderate amount of lateral aswell as up and down motion, whereby the mouthpiece and the body of thecup are enabled to .adapt tlier'nselves nicely to the teat.

When the teat fits the body of the cup, as represented in Figs. 2 and 4,the teatds comfortably supported in the ytapering body of the cup andthe milking operation proceeds without difficulty and vwith comfort tothe co'w. When the teat is normally smaller than the tapering body, oralthough large at rst has become vsmall due to the withdrawal of milkfrom the udder and teat; and when therefore there is more or lessclearance between the cup and teat, as indicated iii Fig. 3, the air iscausedto flow back and'forth along the teat by the suction pulsations.During the suction period the air is drawn out of the top .chamber andfiows downwardly along' the teat and escapes from the lower end of thebody of the cup, while during the relief period, during which air isadmitted to the milk passages-for relieving the vacuum, the air entersthe lower end of the cup and hows-'upwardly along the teat and into theto chamber. The air flows back and forth 11i this manner along a teatwhich is smaller than the tapering body and practical experience hasshown that in' the action of the cup on the teat `the arrangement of thebottom of the top chamber in a .position which is approximately at rightangles to the axis of the cup, or, in other words, a position whichpresents an abrupt change of direction at the junction of the body andchamber, is of vgreat importance. Whether this approximately horizontalbottom acts as a deflcctor which directs the air current squarelyagainst the teat, when the .l

v air is drawn out of the top chamber during the suction period andthereby eases the teat, or whether some other physiological action takesplace, the fact is that the abrupt or approximately horizontal bottom ofthe top ehamberfprevents the teat from becoming congeste iniained orhardened when smaller than the body of the cup and unsupported thereby,which result would occur in Y the patented construction ofthe cup,hereinbeforeV referred to, unless the cup fitted the teat properly.

The improved cup operates properly upon teats which are inuch smallerthan the body of the cup and permits of a proper milking operationuponteats covering a considerable range of sizes, except-ing abnormallylarge or small teats or malformations, and

.thereby simplifies the machine and its use greatly because this cuptakes the place of about six different sizes of cups formerly employedand 'dispenses with the necessity of selecting a cup of the proper size.

lVhen the curtain of the flexible mouthpiece is distended by a largeteat the air space within the top chamber is considerably reduced butthe lower, outwardly-projecting part of the top chamber is not affectedby such crowding of the mouthpiece toward the peripheral wall of the topchamber, and a sutlicient air space is main-- tained in the chamber byreason of this outwardly projecting lower part thereof when the cup isapplied to large teats.. In the modified construction represented inFig. Ll, the bottom 3 0 of the top chamber D is -approximatelyhorizontal, as it is in the preferred construction, but the peripheralwall 81 of the chamber is cylindrical and not composed of twosupei'posed sections of different diameters, as it `is in Fig. 1. Thediameter of the top chamber in this construction is,preferably a littlemore than twice as large as that of the large end of the tapering bodyand the height of the topchaniber is about three-eighthsof its diameter.This construction is inferior to that represented in Figs. l-'i becausethe flexible mouthpiece, when disteiided by a large teat, is more liableto obstruct the top chamber and reduce the air holding capacity thereofthan is the case in the preferred construction in which the outwardlyprojecting lower portion of the-top chamber is protected againstobstruction by the mouthpiece.

Figs. 5 and 6 represent modified constructions, but producing nearly theforms shown in Figs. 4, 2 and 3. In each of these modified constructionsthe lower tapering body of the cup is provided at its large end with aroo llt)

substantially horizontal ilange E. Over the beaded peripheral edge 40 ofthis fiange is sprung a piece of molded rubber. which forms not' onlythe upper chamber of the cup but also the mouthpiece proper, or partthatfornis the air tight contact with the teat.

In ,Figi 5, the rubber piece F ismade sutilciently heavy, or isreinforced, so that itis practically rigid in operation, except that thecurtain '43 which touches the teat must be flexible. In Fig. 6, therubber piece H is also practicallyv rigid when in o eration, exceptingthe curtain 45. The sti' ening of the rubber may be accomplished by theinsertion of metal or cloth or by the mixing of tibrousmaterial with therubber. 44 represents a metal disk insertedin the rubber and serving tosti-'en it. j i I vI claim .as my-invention:

'1. In al? teat cup` for milking machines, the combination of a bodyladapted to receive the lower 'portionof the teat, an enlarged topchamber forming an' air space around the upper portion of the teat andhaving its bottom arranged substantially at right angles to the axis ofthe cup, and means' arranged at the upper end of said enlarged chamberfor making air tight connection withthe teat,

y 2. In a teat cup for milking machines,.the

i combination of a rigid body adaptedA to receive the lower portion ofthe teat, an enlarged top chamber forming an air space around the upperportion of the teat and' having its bottom arranged substantially'atright angles to the axis of the cup, and a mouthpiece arranged atthe-upper end of the 4upper .end of said chamber toward the I saidchamber for making air tight Contact with the teat. l

3..In a teat cup forvmilking machines, the

combination of a rigid body adapted .to receive the lower portion of theteat, an enlarged rigid top chamber forming an air tight space aroundthe upper'portion of the teat and having its bottom arrangedsubstantially a'tright angles to the axis of the cup, and a" mouthpiecearranged at the upper end of saidA chamber and having a dependinginne1wall which extends from upper'end of said body.

4." In a teat cup forv milking machines, the combination of a rigidbody' adapted to receive the lowerportion of theteat, an enlarged `rigidtop 'chamber forming' an air space around the upper portion'iof the teat`Yair space around the upper portion of the teat, said top chamberhaving its bottom arranged substantially at right angles to the axis ofthe cup,..and a mouthpiece arranged at the upper end of said chamber andhaving adepending inner wall ywhich is arranged within said air space.

6. In a teat cup for milking machines, the combination of a rigid bodyadapted to receive the lower portion of the teat, and an enlarged topchamber adapted to carry a mouthpiece and comprising superposedportions, the lower portion being of larger diameter than the upperportion.

7. In a teat cup for milking machines, the

' combination of a rigid body adapted to receive the lower portion ofthe teat, and an enlargedtop' chamber adapted tocarry a tion having itsbottom arranged substantially at right angles to the axis ofthe cup.

8. .In a teat cup for milking machines, the combination of a rigid bodyadapted to receive the lower portion ofl the teat, an enlarged topchamber comprising a lower por- 'mouthpiece and comprising superposedportions ofdifferent diameters, the lower portion having its bottomarranged vsubstan-l tially at right angles to the axis of the cup and anupper portion of less diameter than the lower portion, and a flexiblemouthpiece carried by sai-d upper portion.

lWitness my., hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Witnesses:

GRIFFITH PRICHARD,

CHARLES B. DALZELL.

FREDERIC A. iLNE...

